System and method for determining priorities for handling data based on network slice identifiers

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods relate to: receiving a request for session, from a first device over a wireless link, for a service, wherein the request includes a Single-Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) that is associated with the service; determine a priority for the session based on the S-NSSAI; and performing, based on the determined priority, an uplink procedure or a downlink procedure for the session. A network include the network component that receives the request for session.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Advanced wireless networks, such as Fifth Generation (5G) networks mayrely on network slicing to increase network efficiency and performance.Network slicing involves a form of virtual network architecture thatenables multiple logical networks to be implemented on top of a sharedphysical network infrastructure using software defined networking (SDN)and/or network function virtualization (NFV). Each logical network,referred to as a “network slice,” may encompass an end-to-end virtualnetwork with dedicated storage and/or computational resources thatinclude access network components, clouds, transport, Central ProcessingUnit (CPU) cycles, memory, etc. Furthermore, each network slice may beconfigured to meet a different set of requirements and be associatedwith a particular Quality of Service (QoS) class, a type of service,and/or a particular group of enterprise customers associated with mobilecommunication devices and/or fixed wireless access (FWA) devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates concepts described herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary network environment in which the systemsand methods described herein may be implemented;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary network layout of Integrated Access andBackhaul (IAB) nodes according to an implementation;

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary functional components of IAB nodes and anIAB donor according to an implementation;

FIG. 5A illustrates exemplary radio frames at the physical layer of acommunication protocol stack;

FIG. 5B illustrates exemplary sub-frames of a radio frame;

FIG. 5C illustrates exemplary components of a sub-frame within a radioframe;

FIG. 5D illustrates exemplary sub-frames in a Frequency Division Duplex(FDD) uplink and downlink channels;

FIG. 5E illustrates exemplary sub-frames in a Time Division Duplex (TDD)uplink and downlink channels;

FIG. 6 illustrates physical resource blocks in radio frames;

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary exchange of information between DistributedUnit (DU) network components for handling data based on Single-NetworkSlice Assistance Information (S-NSSAIs);

FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary format of an S-NSSAI;

FIG. 8B illustrates examples of a Slice Service Type (SST) according toone implementation;

FIG. 8C depicts exemplary fields of a Slice Differentiator (SD)according to one implementation;

FIG. 9 illustrates examples of SST, SD, and S-NSSAI according to animplementation;

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary mapping between S-NSSAIs and networkservices;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process that is associatedwith determining a priority associated with an S-NSSAI and using thepriority; and

FIG. 12 depicts exemplary components of an exemplary network device,according to an implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements.

The systems and methods described herein relate to prioritizing data fortransmission and/or processing based on network slice identifiers.According to implementations described herein, a network implements aservice or an application on a network slice that may be identified by aSingle-Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI). When auser equipment (UE) device attaches to the network to receive theservice on the network slice, the UE provides the S-NSSAI to thewireless station. When the wireless station or a component within thewireless station, through which the UE establishes its link with thenetwork, receives the S-NSSAI, the wireless station and/or the componentuses the S-NSSAI to assign a priority to data to be transmitted to theUE or processed. Using the assigned priority, the wireless stationand/or the component may schedule the data to be transmitted to the UE,determine whether to use certain network resources for transmission tothe UE, and/or perform admission control and preemption with respect tothe UE.

FIG. 1 illustrates the concepts described herein. As shown, UEs 102-1and 102-2 (UEs 102) have established wireless links to a network 104,through what is known as a Distributed Unit (DU) 408. DU 408 may be partof a wireless station (not shown) through which UEs 102 establishconnections to network 104. Although DU 408 may be separate from radiounits (RUs) in many implementations, in FIG. 1, for simplicity, it isassumed that DU 408 includes RUs or is coupled to RUs.

Network 104 offers various communications-related services (e.g., anInternet service, a Short Messaging Service (SMS), a Voice-over-IP(VoIP) service, video streaming service, etc.). In particular, network104 offers an emergency call handling service and an Internet service.Network 104 may implement these services on a network slice 106-1 and/ora network slice 106-2.

Assume that UE 102-1 (e.g., a mobile device) establishes an emergencycall through network slice 106-1 and that UE 102-2 (e.g., a fixedwireless access device (FWA)) establishes a browsing session throughnetwork slice 106-2. Data to/from network slice 106-1 and network slice106-2 may then be transmitted to or received from UEs 102-1 and 102-2through DU 408. At DU 408, data to/from network slice 106-1 isassociated with an S-NSSAI that identifies network slice 106-1 and datato/from network slice 106-2 is tagged with an S-NSSAI that identifiesnetwork slice 106-2.

At DU 408, data from network slice 106-1 and network slice 106-2 mayhave different levels of importance, since network slice 106-1 rendersemergency call handling service and network slice 106-2 provide anInternet service. If there is data from both network slices 106-1 and106-2 at the same time at DU 408 for transmission, the data from networkslice 106-1 should take precedence over the data from network slice106-2. Similarly, data from UE 102-1 should have precedence over datafrom UE 102-2, for processing. That is, it is desirable for DU 408 toestablish data priorities, depending on the services associated with thedata.

The systems and methods described herein establish data priorities, suchas those described above as being desirable, based on the network sliceon which the service is implemented. In the embodiments describedherein, because different services are implemented on different networkslices, DU 408 may be configured to use network slice identifiers (i.e.,S-NSSAIs) that accompany data to distinguish data for different servicesand to prioritize data for processing. In particular, the systems andmethods may use the priorities for: scheduling the data fortransmission; determining when to allocate particular physicalresources, herein referred to as physical resource blocks (PRBs); andallocating such PRBs for communications that involve particularservices; and enforcing admissions control and preemption.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary network environment 200 in which thesystems and methods described herein may be implemented. As shown,environment 200 may include UE 102 (also UEs 102), an access network204, a core network 206, and an external network 220.

UE 102 may include a wireless communication device, a mobile terminal,or a FWA device. Examples of UE 102 include: a smart phone, a tabletdevice, a wearable computer device (e.g., a smart watch), a laptopcomputer, an autonomous vehicle with communication capabilities, aportable gaming system, and an Internet-of-Thing (IoT) device. In someimplementations, UE 102 may correspond to a wirelessMachine-Type-Communication (MTC) device that communicates with otherdevices over a machine-to-machine (M2M) interface, such asLong-Term-Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) or Category M1 (CAT-M1) devicesand Narrow Band (NB)-IoT devices. UE 102 may send packets to or overaccess network 204.

When UE 102 attaches to access network 204 for a service, UE 102 maysend signals that include S-NSSAI. When access network 204 receives theS-NSSAI, access network 204 or network components therein may use theS-NSSAI to prioritize data to/from UE 102.

Access network 204 may allow UE 102 to access core network 206. To doso, access network 204 may establish and maintain, with participationfrom UE 102, an over-the-air channel with UE 102; and maintain backhaulchannels with core network 206. Access network 204 may conveyinformation through these channels, from UE 102 to core network 206 andvice versa.

Access network 204 may include a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radionetwork, a Fifth Generation (5G) radio network and/or another advancedradio network. These radio networks may operate in many differentfrequency ranges, including millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies, sub 6GHz frequencies, and/or other frequencies. Access network 204 mayinclude many wireless stations and components herein referred to asIntegrated Access and Backhaul (TAB) nodes. In FIG. 2, these aredepicted as a wireless station 208 and IAB nodes 210. Wireless station208 and IAB nodes 210 may establish and maintain an over-the-air channelwith UE 102 and backhaul channels with core network 206.

Wireless station 208 may include a Fourth Generation (4G), 5G, oranother type of wireless station (e.g., evolved Node B (eNB), nextgeneration Node B (gNB), etc.) that includes one or more Radio Frequency(RF) transceivers. In FIG. 2, wireless station 208 is depicted asreceiving a backhaul wireless link from IAB nodes 210. A wirelessstation 208 that is attached to an TAB node via a backhaul link isherein referred to as IAB donor 208. As used herein, the term “IABdonor” refers to a specific type of TAB node. IAB donor 208 may have thecapability to act as a router.

IAB nodes 210 may include one or more devices to relay signals from IABdonor 208 to UE 102 and from UE 102 to IAB donor 208. An TAB node 210may have an access link with UE 102, and have a wireless and/or wirelinebackhaul link to other IAB nodes 210 and/or TAB donor 208. An TAB node210 may have the capability to operate as a router, for exchangingrouting information with IAB donor 208 and other IAB nodes 210 and forselecting traffic paths.

Both IAB donor 208 (wireless station 208) and IAB nodes 210 may have thecapability to establish data priorities, such as those described above,based on the network slice on which the service is implemented. In theembodiments described herein, because different services are implementedon different network slices, wireless station 208 (or IAB donor 208) andIAB nodes 210 may be configured to use network slice identifiers (i.e.,S-NSSAIs) that accompany data to distinguish data for different servicesand to prioritize data for processing. In particular, as describedbelow, DU 408 within wireless station 208 and IAB nodes 210 use thepriorities for: scheduling the data for transmission; determining whento allocate particular physical resources, herein referred to asphysical resource blocks (PRBs) and allocating such PRBs forcommunications that involve particular services; and enforcingadmissions control and preemption.

As further shown, access network 204 may include Multi-Access EdgeComputing (MEC) clusters 212. MEC clusters 212 may be locatedgeographically close to wireless stations, and therefore also be closeto UEs 102 serviced by access network 204 via wireless stations. Due toits proximity to UEs 102, MEC cluster 212 may be capable of providingservices to UEs 102 with minimal latency. Depending on theimplementations, MEC clusters 212 may provide many core functions atnetwork edges. In other implementations, MEC clusters 212 may bepositioned at other locations (e.g., in core network 206) at which MECclusters 212 can provide computational resources for improvedperformance.

Core network 206 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), an optical network, acable television network, a satellite network, a wireless network (e.g.,a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a general packet radioservice (GPRS) network, an LTE network (e.g., a 4G network), a 5Gnetwork, an ad hoc network, a telephone network (e.g., the PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), an intranet, or a combination ofnetworks. Core network 206 may allow the delivery of Internet Protocol(IP) services to UE 102, and may interface with other networks, such asexternal network 220.

Depending on the implementation, core network 206 may include 4G corenetwork components (e.g., a Serving Gateway (SGW), a Packet data networkGateway (PGW), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.), 5G corenetwork components (e.g., a User Plane Function (UPF), an ApplicationFunction (AF), an Access and Mobility Function (AMF), a SessionManagement Function (SMF), a Unified Data Management (UDM) function, aNetwork Slice Selection Function (NSSF), a Policy Control Function(PCF), etc.), or another type of core network components. In FIG. 2,core network 206 is illustrated as including AMF 214, SMF 216, and UPF218, which are 5G core network components. Although core network 206 mayinclude other 5G core network components, 4G core network components, oranother type of core network components, they are not illustrated inFIG. 2 for simplicity.

AMF 214 may perform registration management, connection management,reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercepts, ShortMessage Service (SMS) transport for UE 102, management of messagesbetween UE 102 and SMF 216, access authentication and authorization, andlocation services management. AMF 214 may provide the functionality tosupport non-3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) accessnetworks, and/or other types of processes.

SMF 216 may perform session establishment, session modification, and/orsession release, perform Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)functions, perform selection and control of UPF 218, configure trafficsteering at UPF 218 to guide the traffic to the correct destinations,terminate interfaces toward a Policy Control Function (PCF), performlawful intercepts, charge data collection, support charging interfaces,control and coordinate charging data collection, terminate sessionmanagement parts of Non-Access Stratum messages, perform downlink datanotification, manage roaming functionality, and/or perform other typesof control plane processes for managing user plane data.

UPF 218 may maintain an anchor point for intra/inter-Radio AccessTechnology (RAT) mobility, maintain an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU)point of interconnect to a particular packet data network, performpacket routing and forwarding, perform the user plane part of policyrule enforcement, perform packet inspection, perform lawful intercept,perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS handling in the user plane,perform uplink traffic verification, perform transport level packetmarking, perform downlink packet buffering, forward an “end marker” to aRAN node (e.g., gNB), and/or perform other types of user planeprocesses. UPF 218 may act as a gateway in a network slice.

External network 220 may include networks that are external to corenetwork 206. In some implementations, external network 220 may includepacket data networks, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

In FIG. 2, AMF, 214 and/or another network component may forwardS-NSSAIs and data to wireless station 208 and/or IAB nodes 210. DU 408(not shown) in wireless station 208 and IAB nodes 210 may use theS-NSSAIs to prioritize the data, for scheduling, for resourceallocation, and for enforcing accessibility and preemption.

For simplicity, FIG. 2 does not show all components that may be includedin network environment 200 (e.g., routers, bridges, wireless accesspoint, additional networks, additional UEs 102, AMF 214, SMF 216, UPF218, wireless station 208, IAB nodes 210, MEC clusters 212, etc.).Depending on the implementation, network environment 200 may includeadditional, fewer, different, or a different arrangement of componentsthan those illustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore, in differentimplementations, the configuration of network environment 200 may bedifferent. For example, wireless station 208 may not be linked to IABnodes 210, and may operate in frequency ranges (e.g., sub-6 GHz)different from or same as those used by IAB nodes 210 (e.g., mmWave oranother frequency range).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary network layout of IAB nodes 210according to one implementation. As shown, some IAB nodes 210 may beattached to IAB donor 208 and to other IAB nodes 210 through backhaullinks. Each IAB node 210 may have a parent node upstream (e.g., either aparent IAB node 210 or IAB donor 208) and a child node downstream (e.g.,either a UE 102 or a child IAB node 210). An IAB node 210 that has nochild IAB node 210 is herein referred to as a leaf IAB node 210. UE 102may establish an access link with any of IAB nodes 210 and not just theleaf IAB nodes 210.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary functional components of IAB donor 208 andIAB nodes 210 in FIGS. 1-3. As indicated above, both IAB donor/wirelessstation 208 and IAB nodes 210 may have the capability to establish datapriorities based on the network slice on which the service isimplemented. IAB donor 208 and IAB nodes 210 may be configured to thepriorities for scheduling, resource allocation, and enforcing admissionscontrol and preemption. Exchange and use of S-NSSAIs among thesubcomponents of IAB donor/wireless station 208, IAB nodes 210, and/orother network components is described below with reference to FIG. 7.

In FIG. 4, although only a single IAB node 210-1 is shown to be betweenIAB node 210-2 and IAB donor 208, in other embodiments, there may bemany IAB nodes 210 between an IAB node 210-2 and IAB donor 208.Furthermore, although, FIG. 4 shows only a single path from the IAB node210-2 to IAB donor 208, there may be one or more paths from each IABnode 210 to IAB donor 208.

As shown, IAB donor 208 may include a Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)404, a CU-User Plane (CU-UP) 406, and a DU 408-1. IAB node 210-1 mayinclude a mobile terminal (MT) 418-2 and a DU 408-3, and IAB node 210-2may include MT 418-4 and DU 408-5. MTs 418-2 and 418-4 have some of thecapabilities of UE 102. Communication protocol stacks for DUs 408 andMTs 418 are shown for IAB donor 208, IAB node 210-1, and IAB node 210-2.Although IAB donor 208, IAB node 210-1, and IAB node 210-2 may includeadditional components, for simplicity, they are not illustrated in FIG.4. In some implementations, CU-CP 404, CU-UP 406 and DU 408 may not beco-located, where wireless station 208 is not localized to a singlegeographical area. In other implementations, CU-CP 404, CU-UP 406, andDU 408-1 may be co-located, as part of wireless station 210.Furthermore, in some implementations, wireless station 208 may not belinked to IAB nodes 210 and may not operate as an IAB donor 208.

CU-CP 404 may perform control plane signaling associated with managingDUs 408 (e.g., DUs 408-1, DU 408-3, and DU 408-5) over F1-C interfaces424. CU-CP 404 may signal to DUs 408 over a control plane communicationprotocol stack that includes, for example, F1AP (e.g., the signalingprotocol for F1 interface between a CU and a DU). CU-CP 404 may includeprotocol layers comprising: Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and aPacket Data Convergence Protocol-Control Plane (PDCP-C). DU 408-3 and DU408-5 in IAB nodes 210-1 and 210-2 may include corresponding stacks tohandle/respond to the signaling (not shown).

CU-UP 406 may perform user plane functions associated with managing DUs408 (e.g., DU 408-1, 408-3, and 408-5) over F1-U interfaces 422. CU-UP406 may interact with DUs 408 over a user plane communication protocolstack that includes, for example, General Packet Radio Service TunnelingProtocol (GTP)-User plane, the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the IP.DU 408-3 and DU 408-5 in IAB nodes 210-1 and 210-2 would havecorresponding stacks to handle/respond to messages from CU-UP 406 (notshown). CP-UP 406 may include processing layers that comprise a ServiceData Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) and a PDCP-User Plane (PDCP-U).

Although CU-CP 404 and CU-UP 406 (collectively referred to as CU) and DU408-1 are part of wireless station 208, the CU does not need to bephysically located near DU 408-1, and may be implemented as cloudcomputing elements, through network function virtualization (NFV)capabilities of the cloud. The CU may communicate with the components ofcore network 206 through S1/NG interfaces and with other CUs throughX2/Xn interfaces.

DUs 408 may provide support for one or more cells covered by radio beamsat the antennas of IAB donor 208 and/or IAB nodes 210. DUs 408 mayhandle UE mobility, from a DU to a DU, gNB to gNB, cell to cell, beam tobeam, etc. As noted above, DUs 408 communicate with a CU through an F1interface (e.g., F1-U 422 and F1-C 424). In FIG. 4, the control planeconnections from CU-CP 404 and CU-UP 406 are shown as terminating at theDU 408-5 in IAB node 210-2. However, for the path between IAB donor 208and IAB node 210-1, CU-CP 404 and CU-UP 406 would terminate theirconnections at the DU 408-3 in IAB node 210-1, although not shown inFIG. 4.

Each of MTs 418-2 and 418-4 permits its host device to act like a mobileterminal (e.g., UE 102). For example, to DU 408-1 in IAB donor 208, MT418-2 in IAB node 210-1 behaves similarly as a mobile terminal attachedto DU 408-1. The relationship between MT 418-2 and DU 408-1, and betweenMT 418-4 and DU 408-3, is established over a Backhaul (BH) channel 420between DU 408-1 of IAB donor 208 and MT 418-2 of IAB node 210-1 and BHchannel 421 between DU 408-3 of IAB node 210-1 and MT 418-4 of IAB node210-2.

Each of BH channels 420 and 421 in FIG. 4 includes multiple networklayers that include, for example, a Backhaul Adaptation Layer (BAP) 410(BAP 410-1 through BAP 410-4), a Radio Link Control (RLC) 412 (RLC 412-1through RLC 412-4), a Media Access Control (MAC) 414 (MAC 414-1 throughMAC 414-4), and a Physical layer (PHY) 416 (PHY 416-1 through PHY416-4). BAP 410 packages data and sends them from one IAB node 210(e.g., IAB node 210-2) to IAB donor 208. RLC 412 receives upper layerprotocol data units (PDUs), groups them for different transportchannels, and transfers them to peer RLC 412 over lower layers. MAC 414maps the RLC 412 to physical layer data/signals.

MAC 414 multiplexes and de-multiplexes logical channels, prioritizes thechannels, handles hybrid automatic repeat request, and deals with randomaccess control. In addition, MAC 414 manages the data as MAC PDUs, andschedules them for transmission over PHY 416. The result of schedulinghas the effect of pre-committing, at PHY 416, blocks of frequency rangesand time intervals to be used for transmission of particularsignals/data. These blocks of frequency-ranges and time intervals areherein referred to as physical resource bocks (PRBs). That is,scheduling reserves specific PRBs for particular transmissions atspecified times. PRBs are components of what is referred to as radioframes, as described below with reference to FIG. 5A to FIG. 6.

FIG. 5A illustrates exemplary radio frames 502-1 through 502-M that aretransmitted from/to PHY 416 in DU 408 to/from PHY 416 in MT 418 over thephysical channel (e.g., between IAB node 210-2 and IAB node 210-1,between IAB node 210-1 and IAB donor 208, or between UE 102 and an IABnode 210). When data or signal from DU 408 is sent over a physicalchannel, they are arranged in blocks, or otherwise known as radio frames502. Each of frames 502 occupies a particular frequency band and spans aparticular time interval, which may depend on the particular RadioAccess Technology (RAT) used.

FIG. 5B illustrates exemplary sub-frames of a radio frame 502-1 of FIG.5A. As shown, each frame 502-1 is partitioned into ten sub-frames 504-1to 504-10. FIG. 5C illustrates exemplary components of a sub-frame 504-1of FIG. 5B. As shown, a sub-frame 504-1 includes two slots 506-1 and506-2.

In FIG. 5A, in an uplink, frames 502 may be transmitted from MT 418 toDU 408, and in a downlink, the frames 502 may be transmitted from DU 408to MT 418. Depending on the implementation, frames 502 in an uplink anda downlink may occupy different frequency bands or the same frequencyband. For example, in the frequency division duplex mode (FDD), theuplink frames and downlink frames may occupy different frequency bands.FIG. 5D illustrates exemplary sub-frames of an FDD uplink and downlinkchannels. As illustrated, uplink sub-frames 508-2 (marked with letter“U”) and downlink sub-frames 508-1 (marked with letter “D”) occupydifferent frequency bands. In another example, FIG. 5E illustratessub-frames of Time Division Duplex (TDD) uplink and downlink channels.Uplink sub-frames 510-2 (marked with “U”) and downlink sub-frames 510-1(marked with “D”) occupy the same frequency band. The sub-frames markedwith the letter “S” are known as special frames, and are inserted at thetransition between a downlink and an uplink sub-frames.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary structure of a radio frame 502 of FDDdownlink in greater detail. In FIG. 6, each square represents a physicalresource block (PRB), which is the smallest unit of frequency and timeinterval that DU 408 or MT 418 may allocate (e.g., schedule) fortransmission.

Each PRB may span a number of subcarriers (e.g., 12) in frequency and anumber of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) symboldurations in time. The spacing of the subcarriers and the symbolduration may depend on the specific RAT and its mode. For example, for5G NR, the subcarrier spacing may be about 15, 30, 120, or 240 kHz, andthe symbol duration may be about 66.67, 33.33, 8.33, 4.17 microseconds(excluding cyclic prefixes).

In FIG. 6, PRBs extend from RB=0 to RB=99 in frequency (equivalently 20MHz) and slightly over half a frame (i.e., slightly over 10 sub-frames)in time. In the example shown, each PRB is one OFDM symbol long(although in other embodiments, a PRB may include additional symbols),each sub-frame includes 14 symbols, and each slot includes 7 OFDMsymbols, assuming the standard cyclic prefix (CP). The black squares inFIG. 6 are PRBs that may carry specific signals from DU 408 to MT 418.Frequency-time structures of PRBs for a FDD uplink is not shown.

As indicated above, DU 408 sets data priorities based on S-NSSAIs. Inaddition, DU 408 uses the priorities for: scheduling data fortransmission; determining when to allocate particular PRBs and toallocate such PRBs for communications that involve particular services;and enforcing admissions control and preemption. For DU 408 to performthese functions, many network components exchange signals with DU 408and/or send/receive data to/from DU 408.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary exchange of information between DU 408 andnetwork components for handling data based on S-NSSAIs. In FIG. 7,information exchange related to handling data based on S-NSSAIs occursbetween CU-CP 404, CU-UP 406 (CU-UPs 406-1, 406-2, and 406-3), AMF 214,UPF 218 (UPFs 218-1, 218-2, and 218-3), DU 408, and UE 102 (UEs 102-1and 102-2). AMF 214 is included in core network 206 (FIG. 2); each ofUPFs 218-1, 218-2, and 218-3 is included in a different network sliceand may act as a gateway for the corresponding network slice; CU-CP 404and CU-UPs 406 may be in a cloud, access network 204, or wirelessstation 208. DU 408 may be included in wireless station 208 (or IABdonor 208) or IAB nodes 210. Although, other intermediate DUs 408 andMTs 418 may exist between the DU 408 shown and CU-Ups 406, they are notillustrated in FIG. 7 for simplicity. CU-CP 404, CU-UPs 406, and DU 408are part of access network 206.

In FIG. 7, CU-CP 404 forwards a DU setup/configuration message over path702 (F1-C interface) to DU 408. The setup/configuration message mayinclude, for example, a list of allowable S-NSSAIs and/or otherinformation associated with S-NSSAIs. Assume that UE 102 then wishes toestablish a session with a service/application on a network slice. Basedon the routing information UE 102 has, UE 102 maps a to-be-requestedservice session to a particular network slice and therefore, to theS-NSSAI for the network slice. UE 102 then makes the request for thesession over the Data Radio Bearer (DRB). In FIG. 7, for example, UE102-1 make its session requests over DRB #1 and #2 (path 720-1); and UE102-2 makes its session request through DRB #3 (720-2).

When DU 408 receives a request for session from UE 102-1 and/or 102-2,DU 408 may send a UE context message to CU-CP 404 over path 702. Acontext message may include a DRB identifier (DRB ID or DRB #), anS-NSSAI (provided by the UE 102 in its session request), and a QoS Flowlevel parameter. When CU-CP 404 receives the UE context and/or otherinformation from a CU-UP 406, CU-CP 404 may send a session requestmessage to AMF 214. AMF 214 may perform various tasks in response andthen return a PDU session ID (710) to CU-CP 404.

CU-CP 404 may then issue a bearer context message to a CU-UP 406 (one ormore of CU-UPs 406-1, 406-2, and 406-3), to handle the PDU session. InFIG. 7, CU-CP 404 is shown as sending such a bearer context message overa path 714 (one of paths 714-1, 714-2, and 714-3) to CU-UP 406 (one ofCU-UP 406-1, CU-UP 406-2, and CU-UP 406-3). Each of paths 714-1, 714-2,and 714-3 each represents an E1 interface between CU-CP 404 and CU-UP406. A bearer context message may include an S-NSSAI (associated withthe application or the service), DRB IDs for the session, and SDAPinformation. The SDAP information may map a DRB ID to a QoS FlowIdentifier (QFI) that identifies a particular QoS Flow from the UPF 218associated with the network slice having the S-NSSAI. Each of CU-UPs406-1, 406-2, and 406-3, after the receipt of a corresponding bearersetup message from CU-CP 404, may be configured to direct data from/to aDRB identified by the DRB # (in the bearer setup message) to/from a QoSFlow, designated by the QFI. In FIG. 7, CU-UP 406-1 is shown asdirecting DRB data 718-1 (at DU 408) to/from the session 716-1 with acorresponding QFI; CU-UP 406-2 is shown directing DRB data 718-2 (at DU408) to/from the session 716-2 with a corresponding QFI; and CU-UP 406-3is shown as directing DRB data 718-3 (at DU 408) to/from the session716-3 with a corresponding QFI. Each of DRB data 718 is conveyed betweenDU 408 and a CU-UP 406 over a F1-U interface, and from a CU-UP 406 tothe corresponding session 716 over the N3 interface. Each of thesessions 716-1, 716-2, and 716-3 is with the corresponding UPF 218-1,218-2, and 218-3 at the corresponding network slice, identified by theS-NSSAI for the session.

With the CU-UP 406 and DU 408 set up for the session, DU 408 maydetermine the priority of the session, and then use the priority forscheduling uplink/downlink data, assign high-priority PRBs for conveyingdata between DU 408 and UE 102, and/or for enforcing accessibility andpreemption policies. The priority is assigned based on the S-NSSAIassociated with the session.

For downlinks, with respect to scheduling, when DU 408 receives datafrom session 718-1, 718-2, and/or 718-3, a scheduler 722 in DU 408 mayarrange the data from sessions 718-1, 718-2, and 718-3 in the order oftheir priorities. If one set of data from session 718-1 and another setof data from session 718-2 are to be transmitted, scheduler 722 mayschedule the data from the session with higher priority to betransmitted before the other session. With respect to PRB allocation,when data with a priority that is higher than the priority associatedwith particular PRBs, scheduler 722 may allocate/dedicate the PRBs forthe transmission of the data (i.e., schedule the data such that thehigh-priority PRBs are used for the transmission). With respect topreemption, when data with a sufficiently high priority is in ascheduling contention for the same PRBs as another data with a lowerpriority for transmission, scheduler 722 may overwrite the lowerpriority data with the higher priority data, in the buffer fortransmission. That is, data with the higher priority preempts lowerpriority data. The preempted data is then scheduled to be transmittedusing different PRBs.

For uplinks, when DU 408 receives a scheduling request from UE 102, ascheduling grant may be provided to UEs 102 in response to thescheduling request, such that the session with higher priorities arefavored (e.g., a schedule for uplink transmission is granted to one UE102 to send data to DU 408, over a different schedule for another UE 102when they are in potential scheduling conflict). In some situations,uplink data with high priorities may be allowed to be transmitted fromUE 102 to DU 408 using high-priority PRBs. When DU 408 encountersrequests for session/access whose priority is low, DU 408 may enforcepolicies pertaining to accessibility: UE 102 with low priority servicerequests are simply denied access to DU 408, at least for a time window.Depending on the implementation, a component other than scheduler 722may enforce such a policy at DU 408.

In FIG. 7, when DU 408 is about to determine a priority associated witha session based on the S-NSSAI, DU 408 may inspect the values of theconstituent fields of the S-NSSAI. FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplaryformat of an S-NSSAI, with its constituent fields. As shown, S-NSSAI 802includes a Slice Service Type (SST) field 804 and a Slice Differentiator(SD) field 806. SST field 804 indicates a type of service; and the SDfield 806 provides a value for uniquely distinguishing one network slicefrom other network slices.

FIG. 8B illustrates examples of SST 804 values according to oneimplementation. More specifically, FIG. 8B shows SST values fordifferent types of services: 1 for enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)service; 2 for Ultra Low Latency Communication (URLLC) service; 3 for aMassive IoT (MIoT) service; and 4 for a Vehicle to Everything (V2X)service.

FIG. 8C depicts exemplary fields of a SD 806 according to oneimplementation. In this implementation, SD 806 includes a NEST field 808which includes 4 bits; a SERVICE field 810, which includes 8 bits; aCUSTOMER field 812, which includes 8 bits, and an Inter-Slice PriorityLevel (ISPL) field 814, which includes 4 bits. NEST field 808 values maybe associated with a type of network slice—which may be related to theSST. SERVICE field 810 values may indicate the service that the networkslice identified by the S-NSSAI supports. CUSTOMER field 812 values mayidentify either the type of customer or a particular customer; and ISPLfield 814 values may indicate the relative priority of the network sliceidentified by the S-NSSAI. Depending on the implementation, DU 408 mayprioritize data entirely based on the ISPL field 814 value of the SD, oralternatively, inspect and use NEST, SERVICE, and CUSTOMER field 808-812values as well as the ISPL field 814 value.

FIG. 9 illustrates examples of SST, SD, and S-NSSAI according to oneimplementation. In particular, FIG. 9 illustrates S-NSSAIs for an eMBB—mobile service and an eMBB— fixed service (for a FWA). SSTs for bothservices are 0x01. NEST, SERVICE, and CUSTOMER of the SD for bothservices are 0. However, the ISPL for the services are 0x7 and 0x6.Accordingly, S-NSSAIs for the services are 0x01000007 and 0x01000006.Each of the S-NSSAIs is associated with a different set of datanetworks, identified by Data Network Names (DNNs) as illustrated.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary mapping between S-NSSAIs and networkservices. For example, for an emergency service, the NEST field 808value is 1, SERVICE field 810 value is 1, CUSTOMER field 812 value is 0,and the ISPL field 814 field value is 1, indicating a high priority.S-NSSAI has SST of 1 and SD of 1.1.0.1, where each of the subfields ofthe SD is separated by a period. The S-NSSAI for the emergency serviceis associated with the DNN of “emergency” and its 5G Quality-of-Serviceindicator (5QI) is 1. Values are shown for other services, such as ageneral Internet services, an administration service, a B2B internetservice, a MIoT service, a URLLC service, etc. Depending on theimplementation, a network component (e.g., DU 408, CU-CP 404, a PCF, AMF214, SMF 216, UPF 218, etc.) may use a mapping similar to the one shownin FIG. 10 for determining the priorities for different S-NSSAIs.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process 1100 that isassociated with determining the priority of an S-NSSAI and using thepriority. In one implementation, process 1100 or portions of process1100 may be performed by CU-CP 404, CU-UP 406, DU 408, AMF 214, UPF 218,SMF 216, a PCF, and UE 102. In other implementations, other networkcomponents may perform process 1100 and/or portions of process 1100.

As shown, process 1100 may include wireless station/IAB donor 208, IABnodes 210, and/or DU 408 being configured based on NSSAI or S-NSSAIs(block 1102). For example, as discussed with reference to FIG. 7, CU-CP404 may obtain a list of S-NSSAIs from another network component (e.g.,AMF 214, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), etc.). CU-CP 404 maythen forward a list of S-NSSAIs for sessions that DU 408 may allow to beestablished by UE 102, to DU 408. DU 408 may store the list of S-NSSAIs.

Process 1100 may further include receiving a request for attachment froma UE 102 (block 1104). For example, UE 102 may send a request to attachto DU 408, which may result in a radio link between the UE 102 and DU408. During the attachment, UE 102 may select one or more DRBs.

After the radio link is established and DRBs designated, DU 404 mayreceive a request to establish a session from the UE 102 (block 1106).Based on the routing information UE 102 has, UE 102 maps ato-be-requested service session to a particular network slice andtherefore, to the S-NSSAI. UE 102 then makes the request for sessionover the DRB.

Process 1100 may further include processing the session request (block1108). For example, when DU 408 receives a request for session from UE102 in FIG. 7, DU 408 sends a UE context message to CU-CP 404 over path702. The context message includes a DRB identifier (DRB ID or DRB #), anS-NSSAI (provided by the UE 102 in its session request), and aQuality-of-Service (QoS) Flow level parameter. When CU-CP 404 receivesthe UE context and/or other information from DU 408, CU-CP 404 sends asession request message to AMF 214, which may interact with othernetwork core components (e.g., SMF 216, UPF 218, etc.) to set up theother endpoint for the session and return the session ID to CU-CP 404.CU-CP 404 may then issue a bearer context message to a CU-UP 406, forCU-UP 406 to handle the PDU session. A bearer context message mayinclude an S-NSSAI (associated with the application or the service), DRBIDs for the session, and SDAP information. The SDAP information may mapa DRB ID to a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) that identifies a particular QoSFlow. CU-UP 406, after the receipt of a corresponding bearer setupmessage from CU-CP 404, may be configured to direct data from/to a DRBidentified by the DRB # (in the bearer setup message) to/from a QoSFlow, designated by the QFI. The QFI is associated with the session(and/or the flow from the other endpoint of the session). Consequently,CU-UP 406 may receive session data and direct the received data to/fromDU 408, over the FI-U interface. DRB data 718 is conveyed between DU 408and a CU-UP 406 over a F1-U interface, and between a CU-UP 406 and UPF218 (corresponding to the network slice identified by the S-NSSAI).

DU 408 may receive data (block 1110), from UPF 218 (corresponding to theS-NSSAI) through CU-UP 406 for the downlinks or from UE 102 for theuplinks. When DU 408 receives data for the session via CU-UP 406 fordownlinks or from UE 102 for uplinks, DU 408 assigns a priority to thedata based on the corresponding S-NSSAI (block 1112).

To assign the priority, DU 408 may use various parts of the S-NSSAI(e.g., SST, SD, NEST, SERVICE, CUSTOMER, and/or ISPL) and a related QoSvalue (e.g., 5QI) associated with the UE 102 to first determine thepriority. DU 408 may use the determined priority for scheduling, forallocating particular PRBs for transmissions, and for enforcingaccessibility and/or preemption policies (block 1112), for uplinks anddownlinks.

For downlinks, with respect to scheduling, DU 408 may order data fromthe UPF 218 for transmission in accordance with the priority. If one setof data from one session and another set of data from another sessionare to be transmitted about the same time and frequencies, DU 408 mayorder the data from the session with a higher priority to be transmittedbefore the other data. With respect to PRB allocation, if a set of datahas a priority that is higher than the priority associated with a set ofcommon PRBs, DU 408 may assign the PRBs for the transmission of the data(i.e., schedule the data such that the PRBs are used for thetransmission). With respect to preemption, when one set of data with asufficiently high priority is in contention for the same PRBs as anotherset pf data for transmission, the set of data with the higher prioritymay overwrite the data with the lower priority in the DU transmissionbuffer. That is, data with the higher priority preempts the other data.The preempted data may be scheduled to be transmitted using differentPRBs.

For uplinks, when DU 408 receives a scheduling request from UE 102,scheduling grants may be provided to UEs 102 via DU 408 or other networkcomponents, such that the session with higher priorities are favored(e.g., one schedule is granted to the UE 102 requesting a session withthe higher priority over a potentially conflicting schedule to anotherUE 102). In certain situations, data with high priorities may be allowedto be transmitted from UE 102 to DU 408 using PRBs associated with highpriorities. When DU 408 encounters requests for session/access whosepriority is low, DU 408 may enforce policies pertaining toaccessibility: UE 102 with low priority service requests are simplydenied access. Depending on the implementation, a component other thanscheduler 722 may enforce such a policy at DU 408.

FIG. 12 depicts exemplary components of an exemplary network device1200. Network device 1200 corresponds to or is included in UE 102, IABnodes 210, and any of the network components of FIGS. 1-4 and 7 (e.g., arouter, a network switch, servers, gateways, wireless stations 208, MECcluster 212, CU-CP 404, CU-UP 406 m DU 408, CU, etc.). As shown, networkdevice 1200 includes a processor 1202, memory/storage 1204, inputcomponent 1206, output component 1208, network interface 710, andcommunication path 712. In different implementations, network device1200 may include additional, fewer, different, or a differentarrangement of components than the ones illustrated in FIG. 7. Forexample, network device 1200 may include a display, network card, etc.

Processor 1202 may include a processor, a microprocessor, an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA), a programmable logic device, a chipset, an application specificinstruction-set processor (ASIP), a system-on-chip (SoC), a centralprocessing unit (CPU) (e.g., one or multiple cores), a microcontroller,and/or another processing logic device (e.g., embedded device) capableof controlling network device 1200 and/or executingprograms/instructions.

Memory/storage 1204 may include static memory, such as read only memory(ROM), and/or dynamic memory, such as random access memory (RAM), oronboard cache, for storing data and machine-readable instructions (e.g.,programs, scripts, etc.).

Memory/storage 1204 may also include a CD ROM, CD read/write (R/W) disk,optical disk, magnetic disk, solid state disk, holographic versatiledisk (HVD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and/or flash memory, as wellas other types of storage device (e.g., Micro-Electromechanical system(MEMS)-based storage medium) for storing data and/or machine-readableinstructions (e.g., a program, script, etc.). Memory/storage 1204 may beexternal to and/or removable from network device 1200. Memory/storage1204 may include, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memorystick, a dongle, a hard disk, off-line storage, a Blu-Ray® disk (BD),etc. Memory/storage 1204 may also include devices that can function bothas a RAM-like component or persistent storage, such as Intel® Optanememories.

Depending on the context, the term “memory,” “storage,” “storagedevice,” “storage unit,” and/or “medium” may be used interchangeably.For example, a “computer-readable storage device” or “computer-readablemedium” may refer to both a memory and/or storage device.

Input component 1206 and output component 1208 may provide input andoutput from/to a user to/from network device 1200. Input and outputcomponents 1206 and 1208 may include, for example, a display screen, akeyboard, a mouse, a speaker, actuators, sensors, gyroscope,accelerometer, a microphone, a camera, a DVD reader, Universal SerialBus (USB) lines, and/or other types of components for obtaining, fromphysical events or phenomena, to and/or from signals that pertain tonetwork device 1200.

Network interface 1210 may include a transceiver (e.g., a transmitterand a receiver) for network device 1200 to communicate with otherdevices and/or systems. For example, via network interface 1210, networkdevice 1200 may communicate with wireless station 208. Network interface1210 may include an Ethernet interface to a LAN, and/or aninterface/connection for connecting network device 1200 to other devices(e.g., a Bluetooth interface). For example, network interface 1210 mayinclude a wireless modem for modulation and demodulation.

Communication path 1212 may enable components of network device 1200 tocommunicate with one another.

Network device 1200 may perform the operations described herein inresponse to processor 1202 executing software instructions stored in anon-transient computer-readable medium, such as memory/storage 1204. Thesoftware instructions may be read into memory/storage 1204 from anothercomputer-readable medium or from another device via network interface1210. The software instructions stored in memory or storage (e.g.,memory/storage 1204, when executed by processor 1202, may causeprocessor 1202 to perform processes that are described herein. Forexample, UE 102, AMF 214, SMF 216, UPF 218, IAB donor 208, IAB nodes210, and DU 408 may each include various programs for performing some ofthe above-described functions for reducing latency.

In this specification, various preferred embodiments have been describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. Modifications may be madethereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, withoutdeparting from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in theclaims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to beregarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

While a series of blocks have been described above with regard to theprocess illustrated in FIG. 11, the order of the blocks may be modifiedin other implementations. In addition, non-dependent blocks mayrepresent blocks that can be performed in parallel.

It will be apparent that aspects described herein may be implemented inmany different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in theimplementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code orspecialized control hardware used to implement aspects does not limitthe invention. Thus, the operation and behavior of the aspects weredescribed without reference to the specific software code—it beingunderstood that software and control hardware can be designed toimplement the aspects based on the description herein.

Further, certain portions of the implementations have been described as“logic” that performs one or more functions. This logic may includehardware, such as a processor, a microprocessor, an application specificintegrated circuit, or a field programmable gate array, software, or acombination of hardware and software.

To the extent the aforementioned embodiments collect, store or employpersonal information provided by individuals, it should be understoodthat such information shall be collected, stored, and used in accordancewith all applicable laws concerning protection of personal information.The collection, storage and use of such information may be subject toconsent of the individual to such activity, for example, through wellknown “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as may be appropriate for thesituation and type of information. Storage and use of personalinformation may be in an appropriately secure manner reflective of thetype of information, for example, through various encryption andanonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information.

No element, block, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential to the implementations describedherein unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, thearticles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include one or more items.Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least inpart, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

1. A network device included in a network, comprising: a communicationinterface; and a processor configured to: receive, via the communicationinterface, a request for a session, from a first device over a wirelesslink, for a service, wherein the request includes a Single-Network SliceSelection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) that is associated with theservice; determine a priority for the session by using the S-NSSAI,wherein the priority indicates precedence for processing data of thesession over data of another session; and process, based on thedetermined priority, uplink data or downlink data of the session.
 2. Thenetwork device of claim 1, wherein the network device includes one of: awireless station; an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node; an IABdonor; or a Distributed Unit (DU).
 3. The network device of claim 1,wherein when the processor processes the downlink data, the processor isconfigured to: receive first data from a network component included in anetwork slice, which provides the service and is identified by theS-NSSAI; and transmit the first data to the first device.
 4. The networkdevice of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:schedule the first data for transmission to the first device based onthe determined priority.
 5. The network device of claim 3, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: schedule the first data fortransmission to the first device by assigning physical resource blocks(PRBs) associated with a particular priority; or overwrite second data,in a buffer for the network device, with the first data when thepriority is higher than a priority of the second data, wherein thebuffer includes data to be transmitted to devices wirelessly linked tothe network device.
 6. The network device of claim 1, wherein when theprocessor processes the uplink data, the processor is configured to:receive a scheduling request from the first device; and send ascheduling grant to the first device in response to the schedulingrequest, wherein the scheduling grant is generated based on thepriority.
 7. The network device of claim 6, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: receive first data from the first device inaccordance with the scheduling grant; and forward the first data to anetwork component on a network slice identified by the S-NSSAI.
 8. Thenetwork device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configuredto: receive a list of S-NSSAIs that are associated with services thatdevices are allowed to access from the network over wireless links tothe network device.
 9. A method comprising: receiving a request for asession, from a first device over a wireless link, for a service,wherein the request includes a Single-Network Slice Selection AssistanceInformation (S-NSSAI) that is associated with the service; determining apriority for the session by using the S-NSSAI, wherein the priorityindicates precedence for processing data of the session over data ofanother session; and processing, based on the determined priority,uplink data or downlink data of the session, wherein a network includesa network component that receives the request.
 10. The method of claim9, wherein the network component includes one of: a wireless station; anIntegrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node; an IAB donor; or aDistributed Unit (DU).
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein processing thedownlink data includes: receiving first data from a second networkcomponent included in a network slice, which provides the service and isidentified by the S-NSSAI; and transmitting the first data to the firstdevice.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: scheduling thefirst data for transmission to the first device based on the determinedpriority.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: scheduling thefirst data for transmission to the first device by assigning physicalresource blocks (PRBs) associated with a particular priority; oroverwriting second data, in a buffer for the network component, with thefirst data when the priority is higher than a priority of the seconddata, wherein the buffer includes data to be transmitted to deviceswirelessly linked to the network component.
 14. The method of claim 9,wherein processing the uplink data includes: receiving a schedulingrequest from the first device; and sending a scheduling grant to thefirst device in response to the scheduling request, wherein thescheduling grant is generated based on the priority.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising: receiving first data from the first devicein accordance with the scheduling grant; and forwarding the first datato a second network component on a network slice identified by theS-NSSAI.
 16. The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving a listof S-NSSAIs that are associated with services that devices are allowedto access from the network over wireless links to the network component.17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisingprocessor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor includedin a network component, that cause the processor to: receive a requestfor a session, from a first device over a wireless link, for a service,wherein the request includes a Single-Network Slice Selection AssistanceInformation (S-NSSAI) that is associated with the service; determine apriority for the session by using the S-NSSAI, wherein the priorityindicates precedence for processing data of the session over data ofanother session; and process, based on the determined priority, uplinkdata or downlink data of the session, wherein a network includes thenetwork component.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 17, wherein the network component includes one of: a wirelessstation; an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node; an IAB donor; ora Distributed Unit (DU).
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 17, wherein when the processor processes the downlink data, theprocessor is configured to: receive first data from a second networkcomponent included in a network slice, which provides the service and isidentified by the S-NSSAI; and transmit the first data to the firstdevice.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19,wherein when executed by the processor, the processor-executableinstructions further cause the processor to: schedule the first data fortransmission to the first device based on the determined priority.